1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to: a disk cartridge capable of rotatably accommodating a disk therein and of being loaded in a disk driving apparatus for recording a piece of information into the disk and for reproducing the piece of information recorded in the disk; a disk device comprising such a disk cartridge and a disk accommodated therein; and a shutter opening/closing mechanism for opening/closing a window for exposing a disk by moving a shutter.
2. Description of Related Art
As conventional recording media, there have been widely utilized: disk cartridges removably accommodating disks therein such as CD-ROM's (Compact Disc Read Only Memory); and those disk devices such as MO (Magneto-Optical), FD (Floppy Disc: Trade Mark), MD (Mini Disk), which include disk cartridges integrally and rotatably accommodating disks therein. Known as these disk cartridges and disk devices are those having structures such as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12.
The structure shown in FIG. 11 is a disk device 105 comprising: a body case 102 rotatably accommodating a disk 101 therein, and formed with a window 103 for exposing a recording surface of the disk 101; and a shutter 104 moveably disposed on the body case so as to open/close the window. The shutter 104 of the disk device 105 is integrally provided with a belt 106 in the moving direction of the shutter, and this belt 106 has its tip end provided with a pawl portion 107. The shutter 104 for opening the window 103 is further provided with a coil spring 108 for influencing a counteracting force or pulling force onto the shutter 104 in a direction opposite to the moving direction thereof.
The disk device 105 shown in FIG. 11 is constituted such that this disk device 105 is inserted into a disk driving apparatus (not shown) for recording and reproducing a piece of information into and from the disk 101, such that the pawl portion 107 of the belt 106 is engaged by a pin 110 protruded within a zone through which the disk device 105 placed in a transferring path is moved when the disk device is transferred up to a predetermined operational position by transferring structure disposed in the disk driving apparatus. This moves the belt 106 against the pulling force of the coil spring 108 dependently of the transferring movement of the disk device 105, so that the shutter 104 is moved to open the window 103 to thereby expose the recording surface of the disk 101 at the operational position.
However, the shutter 104 of the constitution shown in FIG. 11 is moved to open the window 103 to thereby expose the recording surface of the disk 101 thereby requiring a pin-like constitution for moving the belt 106 by engaging with the pawl portion 107 of the belt 106, so that this disk device is allowed to be utilized only in a particular disk driving apparatus having such a pin-like component. Further, in such a disk driving apparatus constituted to directly load or place the disk device 105 into an operational position without any transferring structure for transferring the disk device 105, there is required a constitution for moving a pin-like component relative to the disk device 105, thereby requiring a passage space for passing the pin-like component and thus failing to downsize the disk driving apparatus.
Meantime, the structure shown in FIG. 12 is a disk device 125 comprising: a body case 121 rotatably accommodating a disk (not shown) therein, and formed with a window 122 for exposing a recording surface of the disk; and a shutter 123 moveably disposed on the body case so as to open/close the window. The body case 121 of the disk device 125 is provided with a concaved portion 127 for forming a stepped portion between the shutter 123 and body case 121, within a moving region of the shutter 123 and in a state where the shutter 123 closes the window 122. Provided within the body case 121 is counteracting structure (not shown) for influencing a pulling force onto the shutter 123 in a direction opposite to the moving direction thereof for opening the window 122.
Provided in a disk driving apparatus (not shown) for recording and reproducing a piece of information into and from the recording surface of the disk of the disk device 125 are: an insertion opening for inserting the disk device 125 therethrough; an operational position communicated with the insertion opening so as to record/reproduce the information; and a movement path for moving the disk device 125 therethrough from the insertion opening toward the operational position. The disk driving apparatus is further provided with shutter driver 131 for opening/closing the shutter 123 of the disk device 125 which is moving through the movement path, to thereby open/close the window 122. This shutter driver 131 comprises: an arm portion 132 having one end rotatably disposed within the movement path, and the pivoted other end; a pin portion 133 disposed at the tip end or the one end of the arm portion 132, so as to engage in the concaved portion 127 of the disk device 125 which moves through the movement path; and a coil spring 135 for influencing a pulling force onto the arm portion 132 in a direction opposite to the rotating direction of the arm portion 132 which is rotated as the disk device 125 is moved to the operational position.
In the case where the disk device 125 is to be inserted into the insertion opening of the disk driving apparatus, the concaved portion 127 is engaged with the pin portion 133 of the shutter driver 131 positioned in the movement path, so that the arm portion 132 is rotated as the disk device 125 is moved. This rotational movement pushingly moves the shutter 123, so that the window 122 is opened at the operational position to thereby expose the recording surface of the disk.
However, in the constitution shown in FIG. 12, the shutter 123 is moved to open the window 122 to thereby expose the recording surface of the disk. This requires the shutter driver 131 having such a specific constitution comprising the arm portion 132, which arm portion is rotatably disposed in the movement path of the disk device 125 and has the pin portion 133 to be engaged in the concaved portion 127 disposed in the disk device 125. Thus, the disk device can be utilized exclusively in such a specific disk driving apparatus having the shutter driver 131. Further, in such a disk driving apparatus constituted to directly load the disk device 125 into an operational position without moving the disk device 125, there is required a constitution for engaging the pin portion 133 into the concaved portion 127 and rotating the arm portion 132, thereby requiring a passage space for passing therethrough the arm portion 132 and thus failing to downsize the disk driving apparatus.
As described above, the scheme shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 requires specific constitutions for moving the shutters 104, 123, and is thus applicable to only those disk driving apparatuses having specific constitutions, thereby failing to improve versatility. Moreover, in those disk driving apparatuses which directly load the disk devices 105, 125 into operational positions, it is required to ensure passage spaces for passing therethrough those components for moving the shutters 104, 123, thereby also failing to downsize the disk driving apparatuses.